A short story to give you a good idea of how Italy operates.
Today I was on a train headed to Rome from Naples after a class trip to the Bay of Naples area. At about the third station after leaving Naples the train stopped, as it was meant to...and failed to start again. After about 10 minutes, we were all a little confused, but went on with our conversation. (Trains stop at stations for longer intervals here than in America, so that time isn't too absurd.) By 20 minutes, we were getting a little antsy. Around 25 minutes, the Italians on the train started to get confused, too. No announcement was made. No conductor came around to let us know what was happening. Everyone sat in a state of more or less content confusion. Finally, after 30 minutes the Italian family in our car walked up to the front of the train to ask what was going on. No one knew. 5 minutes later we were finally told to get off the train and wait for another at a different track, with no explanation. 20 minutes after that, we, and everyone else from our train, boarded the other Rome-bound train. There was, overall, very little complaint and discontent. Were that to happen in the states, people would throw fits and demand refunds. Needless to say, Italy is wonderfully laid back and calm when it comes to this sort of thing. It's definitely a refreshing change that I'm trying to enjoy while I can.
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